An airbag module is employed in an automobile for protecting an occupant against injury by deploying an inflated airbag cushion to physically restrain the occupant's body when the automobile encounters a collision. A driver side airbag module normally includes a module cover attached to a module baseplate, and an inflator and an airbag cushion secured to the module baseplate and covered by the module cover. The driver side airbag module can also include a horn switch secured to an inner face of the module cover.
In some existing driver side airbag modules, the module baseplate includes a sidewall extending upwardly from the baseplate and forming a rim. Locking arms having grooves or notches for engaging the rim extend from the cover. The airbag module also includes cover clamps or retaining clips clamping two of the locking arms to the rim to secure the cover to the baseplate. The airbag inflator, the airbag cushion and the clamps are secured to the baseplate with a single set of nuts and bolts. Such an airbag module is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,946.
It would be useful for the airbag inflator to be simply retained within the module housing independently of the nuts and bolts. With the airbag inflator retained within the module housing, the airbag inflator and the module housing could be handled as a single component before and during assembly of the airbag module. In addition, during servicing of the horn switch, the airbag cushion or the module cover, the nuts must be unfastened from the bolts to release the cover clamps in order to remove the module cover. With the airbag inflator retained within the module housing independently of the nuts and bolts, the airbag inflator would remain correctly positioned within the module housing with respect to the airbag cushion during removal of the module cover.
A general object, therefore, of the present invention is to provide a new and improved airbag module.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved module housing for use with an airbag module.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an airbag module housing that provides inflator retention prior to final assembly of the airbag module, and during removal of the module cover from the airbag module.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an airbag module housing that provides inflator retention means that easily engages an airbag inflator.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an airbag module housing that provides inflator retention without requiring additional components that must be assembled to the module housing.